Egypt\'s Defense Strategy

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CEU- universidad San Pablo UNIVERSIDAD CEU – SAN PABLO Instituto de Estudios Europeos. Máster en Relaciones Internacionales
Egypt's Strategy of Defense against Terrorism
On both Eastren and Westren borders

sara kira
Prof.Pedro Montojo


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Egypt's strategy of Defense against terrorism

Index:
Introduction
Strategy Of Defense and threats in Sinai (front with Gaza strip)
Strategy of Defense and threats on western borders with Libya.















Introduction
In this paper, the strategy of defense of Egypt on both fronts eastern and western will be covered. The eastern front is with Gaza in Sinai and the western with Libya. Since the 1970s, Egypt has been receiving 100 billion dollars annually strict to military assistance from the US. This amount of money helped keep this front secure. This share of the American assistance to Egypt militarily helped keep Sinai secure of terrorist groups for more than 3 decades. Since 2011, this front has been on fire once again since the release of some terrorist groups from prisons under the chaos of the 25th of Jan revolution, and the homecoming of terrorists groups from Afghanistan under the Muslim Brotherhood one year rule. In the first part, an introduction to a list of terrorism groups in Northern Sinai will be introduced and their attacks and Egypt's military forces responses. In the second half of the paper, the other front with Libya will be covered.

Strategy in Sinai, Front with Gaza strip.
According to Egypt's map, it has now two fronts on fire from the east and the west. Covering the eastern front first, we will have to deal with the terrorism groups and how the Egyptian army deals with them strategically on the eastern borders. The eastern borders have been on the focus before 2011, after since both borders have equal attention. The terrorists groups in Northern Sinai are the following groups:
Al Tawhid Wal Gehad: This group that is responsible for the kidnapping of 7 Egyptian soldiers under the command of "Hani Abu Shita", the leader of the group who's sentenced to death in the "Taba attacks" 2004. More than 900 members of this group eloped to Sinai in fear of prosecution of security. This group then recruited 300 members from Hamas, Ezz el Din al Qassam militants, Al Aqssa organization and Shura Al Mogahedyeen. This group is considered the most dangerous in the area and they are who planned the assassination of 16 Egyptian soldiers in Rafah where they are centered. This group also has heavy weapons, such as pads for rockets, mortars and anti- aircrafts. Al Tawhid Wal Gehad considers Egyptian police and army officers atheists and should be assassinated, so they focus their operations against them and sometimes against Israel. This group has emerged from Al Takfir Wal Hegra organization, who take al Jihad as their main purpose and main theme of their operations internationally.
Gond El Islam: this group of terrorists adopts the training of its members, and declared the first Islamic province in Al-Halal Mountain in Sinai. This organization of terrorists of the most trained and equipped groups, they have heavy weapons of RBJs, Garanovs. Their base is Al-Halal Mountain and Al Mahdeya Mountains in northern Sinai.

Anex 1
Shura Al Mogahedeen: this group has 600 members and they have direct contact with Hezbollah and Tehran, they were trained by Hamas and Tehran. They have connections with the Islamists groups based in Egypt of the 90s. they are centralized in mountains of Sheikh Zoyaed of northern Sinai, but move from one place to another and they communicate using their own networks that are connected to networks of Israel and Jordan.

By covering those most important and dangerous groups or organizations of terrorism, we will tackle now the methods adopted by the Egyptian armed forces to face terrorism in this spot on the Egyptian territory. It is worth mentioning that on these eastern borders, Egypt faces the danger of tunnels used to illegally transport weapons and members of terrorists groups. The maze of tunnels that have long run between the southern Gaza Strip and northern Sinai flourished during the time of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's former Muslim Brotherhood president, and helped supply Gaza with the thousands of missiles and other arms used against Israel this summer in the vicious 50-day war. Morsi was ousted last year by el-Sisi -- formerly head of the armed forces -- who has driven the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt, outlawed the organization, and gone after other radical Islamist groups.
How did the Egyptian strategy of defense deal with the matter?
The armed forces adopted many operations in Sinai against the terrorists groups, first, 85% of the tunnels between Gaza and Northern Sinai were destroyed in less than a year. In addition, many Palestinians related to Hamas have been captured. Intelligence operations are done on regular bases to control the terrorists' movements with a vast help from Sinai's tribes giving information about their locations.
Military operations:
Many military operations have taken place like "Operation Sinai", which is a part of "Operation Eagle". The name eagle was given in reference to eagles picking up snakes.
"At the beginning of the war on terrorism, which began on Aug. 7, 2013, the Egyptian army succeeded in draining the sources of arms supply to the group. The security headquarters of the group was targeted both day and night, until the Egyptian army was able to displace and track the members of the group through fierce, daily military operations. These have been encumbering the daily life of residents in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah."
Other operations took place in Sinai, in the war going on against terrorism there like the "Snake's Head" operation against Al-Qaeda cell. "The capture of Al-Qaeda's number one man in Sinai, Adel Ibrahim, also known as Adel Habbara, who was the leader of the groups that carried out the second Rafah attack, is a major victory in the war against terrorism since the military operations against militant jihadist and takfiri groups began in Sinai". Even though the media does not get much of news about the operations being held there for secrecy, still the operations are fairly declared and followed.
The defense strategy for the peninsula of Sinai was being carried out through development and city buildings there along with deep connections with the tribal nature of the peninsula for the past 30 years. Yet, that was not enough without the destruction of the tunnels between Gaza and Northern Sinai.

Western borders with Libya:
Egypt's strategy in securing the western borders is through logistic support with the Libyan counterpart. The Egyptian armed forces would drown in the deserts of Libya, if it does not get this kind of support from them. Besides the military logistics support between the two parts, Egypt has started the "Egyptian Proactive Initiative". The initiative is based on Arab support to Libya economically and for reconstruction through the Arab Unity Council. The initiative is including small projects of business to reconstruct investments in Libya in the shortest period possible. The initiative includes logistic support through logistic centers that binds the main axis of cities and commercial centers together of the Libyan and Egyptian sides. These axes bind Alexandria/Marsa Matrouh/ Beni Ghazi, and Alexandria, Beni Ghazi, Tripoli and Mesrata Axis. These centers are specialized for the services of reconstruction.
After the slaughter of the 21 Egyptian citizens by Daesh in Libya 15th of February 2015, Egypt had to interfere militarily to defend itself and its citizens on the territory of Libya after what happened in an act of "preventive war" which is justified and forms part f the strategy of the Egyptian armed forces on the western borders. This military strike came in response of Libyan pressure from the government to the Egyptian counterpart after the expansion of different terrorists groups on the Libyan territory and the split of the country into two governments. The strike came also as part of the Egyptian's defense strategy on those borders, to prevent the expansion of the terrorists groups in the cities on the western borders. This is considered a deterrence strategy on the western borders to prevent the expansion of what is happening in Libya to Egypt. Hossam Swailem, a military and strategic expert summed up the Egyptian's strategy of defense on the western borders in 4 strategies. First, Egypt is the only part responsible for securing its western borders to prevent expansion of terror groups. Second, Egypt is responsible for organizing with the Tunisian, Algerian and Libyan governments to put a blockade on the terror groups. Third, Egypt should keep on supporting "Haftar" forces in its fight against terrorism. Fourth, Egypt should hit 10 camps of terrorists and Ansar el Shariya eastern Libya to put more blockade on their movements. This strategy summed up in four points in being practiced, through several events, first the cooperation decided upon practicing a blockade on the terrorists groups in Libya after Al-Sisi's visit to Algeria after he won elections. The initiative that guarantees continuing the logistic support between Egypt and Libya and finally the hit of Daesh camps after the slaughter of 21 Egyptians. The efforts are being crystalized in those events, as well as in the seek of more Arab and International support considering Libya.
Conclusion:
The challenge is way more profound and defying for any single army to be fighting on both borders and not in a normal known military organized war against another army, but with groups that change locations and threat civilians more than soldiers. The Egyptian army has always been known for its strength and well organization as well as preparation, yet the fight against terrorist groups with heavy weapons is different. We can say by proof that the strategy is paying off so far and helping in more gain of experience to the army regarding the fight against terrorist group which is a plus for their fighting capacities. Efficiency, organization, preparation and rapidity are all worth giving the gratitude to the Egyptian army for the efforts given to protection of civilians from today's most dangerous groups of terrorists who are highly trained and equipped.

















References:
Annex:
Annex1: Alhalal Mountain in Northern Sinai
Resources:
Akhbar Al Youm, Map of terrorists groups in Sinai. (online), http://www.masress.com/akhbarelyom/121779
Fox News, Egypt takes aim at Hamas' terror tunnels. (online), http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/11/19/egypt-takes-aim-at-hamas-terror-tunnels/
Wikipedia, Operations in Sinai. (online), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sinai_%282012%29
Al-Monitor, Sinai militants rise again. (online), http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/contents/articles/originals/2014/10/ansar-bayt-al-maqdis-impose-presence-sinai-egypt.html#
Al-Ahram Weekly, Operation Snake's head. (online), http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/3958/17/Operation-snake's-head.aspx
Masress, Egyptian initiative with Arab support for reconstruction of Libya. (online), http://www.masress.com/ahram/109809
Al-Arabiya News, Would the Egyptian Intervention in Libya repeat itself?. (online), http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2014/08/03/بعد-37-عاما-هل-يتكرر-سيناريو-تدخل-مصر-في-ليبيا؟.html





Akhbar Al Youm, Map of terrorists groups in Sinai. (online), http://www.masress.com/akhbarelyom/121779
Akhbar Al youm, Map of terrorist groups in Sinai. (online), http://www.masress.com/akhbarelyom/121779
Ibid.
Ibid.
Fox News, Egypt takes aim at Hamas' terror tunnels. (online), http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/11/19/egypt-takes-aim-at-hamas-terror-tunnels/
Wikipedia, Operations in Sinai. (online), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sinai_%282012%29
Al-Monitor, Sinai militants rise again. (online), http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/contents/articles/originals/2014/10/ansar-bayt-al-maqdis-impose-presence-sinai-egypt.html#
Al-Ahram Weekly, Operation Snake's head. (online), http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/3958/17/Operation-snake's-head.aspx
Masress, Egyptian initiative with Arab support for reconstruction of Libya. (online), http://www.masress.com/ahram/109809
Al-Arabiya News, Would the Egyptian Intervention in Libya repeat itself?. (online), http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2014/08/03/بعد-37-عاما-هل-يتكرر-سيناريو-تدخل-مصر-في-ليبيا؟.html
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